NDC Member Disappointed In AG-Justice Ministry Decoupling Fiasco

A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal team, Abraham Amaliba has expressed disappointment at the decision by government not to decouple the office of the Attorney General from the Justice Ministry. The Constitution Review Commission recommended that the current arrangement of an Attorney General and a Justice Ministry be maintained but suggested that decoupling should be the prerogative of the President. The NDC manifestoes for the 2008 election promised to decouple the ministry and enable them function properly. Government however failed to take a definite decision on the matter. Mr. Amaliba told XYZ News, he considers the move by government a sign of reneging on its campaign promise. �We in government now can look into our manifesto and decide to implement that, the new law will be achieving the purpose for which we set out to put in our manifesto.� He expressed disappointment at that the government's failure to live up to the manifesto promise. �I am just dissapointed in the recommendation regarding that aspect of the CRC�s report that we needed an emphatic statement.� He however said the president can still go ahead to decouple the A-G�s Department and the Ministry of Justice because it is in his power to do so. Meanwhile the Executive Secretary of the Constitution Review Commission, Dr. Raymond Atugugba has told XYZ News an upcoming consultation forum will help put the entire recommendations in proper perspective to inform public debate on the issues in the Government white paper. �We are organizing within the next ten days an interactive session with the media. These sessions will go on for a number of days to orient the media effectively on sections of the report one at a time.�